Special Operations Teams

[Guest SpecOps]

What EMS agencies in Westchester have special operations teams, whether it be for hazmat,MCI,disaster,terrorism, etc? Does anybody run EMS rescues or Special ops trucks?

[CM36 4]

i don't know of any in Westchester, except for Yonkers EMS/Empress, which is a Haz-Tac unit , but i can tell you that in Rhode Island there are several different stations that are part of the state wide Haz-Mat team. For example one station is a de-con, another one is a entry team, and so on. That would be a great idea for Westchester to do.

[Guest EMSwhitecloud]

Yea, i dont know of any in Westchester except for YEMS either...it would be nice to have though

[Guest DG795]

As stated, Empress EMS, the sole 911 provider for mt. vernon, yonkers, and the pelhams has had a HAZMAT response team in place for a little less then 2 years. We have several command personnel trained to the specialist level in HAZMAT response, along with other personnel as EMS HAZMAT Techs. We are charged with decon and Transport of patients involved in an incident, and train with the Yonkers Fire Department to ensure compatibility and a defined command structure. Empress EMS has all neccessary equipment to decon an MCI, and SOP's laying out protocols for setup, decon, and TXP of patients. It would be nice to have a county wide EMS HAZMAT response team/structure...perhaps in the future...

[Oswegowind 17]

795, by the way it is me 735...

The Empress team is available mutual aid along with the Yonkers FD/PD Special Operations Task Force...K

[Guest x901]

Empress EMSSOD carries a large supply of Mark ONE kits and is the only agency in NY (besides FDNY*EMS) to have access to Amyl Nitrate..... The Empress team was just recently upgraded in training to operate in the 'hot zone' w level A suits. previously only limited to level b. The Empress SOD team is staffed by EMTDs, AEMT-Is & Medics as so to provide all the care needed. SOD members are trained to manage MCIs, Disasters, Chemical Incidents, Terrorism etc. many members have ancilliary training in other fieldsspecialites to further provide a better level of careescue etc.

[Remember585 815]

I think, but I'm not 100% sure, that Ossining VAC has or is in the process of creating a Tactical EMS Unit.

[Guest MSANJ]

you are right . they have had one for a while .way before Empress

[Oswegowind 17]

Ossining does have a tac unit, I believe there are two or three medics that work through the VAC with the Police on tactical situations...6th man in...Eastchester uses an EVAC medic...and the empress team is currently not trained for tactical situations...they still sit around the corner if they even know about it...735

[Guest DG795]

Ossining VAC has tactical EMS teams, Empress has HAZMAT teams...two equally dangerous but different animals.

[Guest]

Our EMS Special Ops team does hazmat, fire rehab, public events, SAR, tactical, limited rope rescue, and acts as the medical branch for our county COBRA team. Just some perspective from a Southern EMS team!

[SHAC7301 0]

Sleepy Hollow VAC has a dozen members who are on the Phelps Memorial Hospital Decon Team. We have been trained to use the on-site decon facility at Phelps (showers, suits, supplied air respirators etc..). Members are paged-out when needed. Members are operations or tech level in hazmat.

[Guest WCDES636]

SWAFA!!!!! Enough said.

[WAS967 97]

Speacial Weapons and First Aid. "Plug em then patch em" was the motto I believe? 8)

[STAT213 332]

How bout we all worry about getting out for calls, and getting medics to EVERY call instead of worrying about speciality teams. Amazing. I work in a town of 34,000 and we staff 14 members, with four rigs. How many people in the town of Mt. Pleasant, and when I left a few years ago there was still no F/T coverage save 37 M1. One of the richest counties in the country still has mainly a BLS system with volunteers. I don't get it. I hope it has changed, but reading the discussions on here, it seems to have not.

636...bring back swafa!!!

[Guest]

How bout we all worry about getting out for calls, and getting medics to EVERY call instead of worrying about speciality teams.  Amazing.  I work in a town of 34,000 and we staff 14 members, with four rigs.  How many people in the town of Mt. Pleasant, and when I left a few years ago there was still no F/T coverage .  One of the richest counties in the country still has mainly a BLS system with volunteers.  I don't get it.  I hope it has changed,

WELL SAID!!! Instead of trying to add more speciality teams, A good amount of Fire Depts. in this county can't even answer a basic every day call. You here Depts. tone out time and time again

and no response or just a chief will sign on the air- That doesn't cut it. Public Saftey is # 1 ... :roll:

[Guest]

As far as EMS special teams go I cannot see the benefit to ems of having a tactical team. I know this because I am a tactical medic.

The Law Enforcement Agency that gets tactical medic support and the tactical team get the benefits but it does nothing to help every day operations and in our system every one hates the tactical medics because we are seen to get preferential treatment by our admin staff.

Jealousy is another draw back to special teams. There are people in our service hoping we will actually get shot during training or operations!

HazMAt, WMD and rescue seems to me to be of greater benefit to a service. What do you think?

[Guest x901]

depending on the municipality, there is a need for certain specailized things..... but you can't compare one's resources to another's.......

[SHAC7301 0]

OK..here is the perspective of a volunteer EMS Captain and a paid Law Enforcement Agent/Tactical EMT..

You are correct in saying that agencies, paid or volunteer, which have a difficult time with call-coverage should first solve that problem before they venture into specialty team creation. Our duty is to cover all calls (within reason).

EMS will never be the lead agency for HAZMAT, WMD, SWAT, ESU, etc..EMS will serve as a team member, both on the agency and individual level. EMS, on these units, usually will serve as a support element, with minimal exposure (on average) to the "line of fire," but may be asked to operate in a dangerous environment (with the appropriate equipment, training and support).

EMS Specialty Teams, however, do serve a function in a world that is more and more dangerous and violent (WMD, Terrorism, etc.). There is a need for onscene medical support and expertise for these incidents, as well as simple (if you can call them that) search warrants and violent EDPs. The law enforcement side does benefit from the immediate assistance and seldom helps EMS dirrectly, but there are indirrect benefits to EMS involvement in specialty teams. One is the simple benefit to recruitment for EMS agencies who do have these teams. Most public safety people love specialty units...Heavy or Tech Rescue, SWAT, ESU..etc. This can aid in recruitment and retention. It also provides to the communities that we are sworn to protect a level of enhanced protection and expertice. Jealousy will happen with some members, but the need should overrule any "bad feelings."

I have treated fire and police at these specialty incidents and I have been treated, so I can not say enough to emphasize the need to have medical providers who are trained to handle and, if neeeded, operate under these circumstances.

So if the agency has the resouces to cover their calls, a specialty team, if there is a need in their area, is a great idea.

[Guest]

I agree with you SHAC but do you have a lot of jealousy and ridicule from your department's non special ops people. It is a bad problem for us. As a tactical medic Im always under the microscope. How do you deal with all the BS like this?

[SHAC7301 0]

Yes, somedic, I have seen jealousy. That is something that we all have to strive to be above....it has never gotten to the point of units not wanting to work together...more like teasing, friendly competition or occasional jokes...

Every major local, state and federal agency I know of has a special unit, or two or three. I see more and more being created and have never seen any closed down due to bad blood......bad budgets, but not bad blood.

[gpdexplorer 46]

I don't know what it is exaxctly, but Greenburgh converted one of their old rigs to a HazMat unit. Instead of saying ambulance, it says "HAZMAT/DECON UNIT" on it. In the room, that we have our meetings in, they have a bunch of those hidious green boots and a bunch of SCBA Masks, and a fit test machine.